The most dangerous animals on the North American continent, by a margin of 1000 to one, are not bears, mountain lions or wolves but poisonous snakes. Attacks occur far more frequently than most people suspect; 6500 to 7000 humans are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year. Fortunately, the death rate from snakebite is low, largely because of widespread knowledge about snakes and the fact that in most cases treatment is prompt. Yet for the victims, even though they survive, the ordeal is a dreadful experience sometimes resulting weeks or months of illness, permanent crippling, the loss of a hand or foot, or other lasting handicaps.